The Park
by SaruXIII
Summary: Hajime and Mahiru go for a walk. AU


**A.N. I needed to vent so I wrote this. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.**

OoOoOo

Hajime looked around as he stepped out of the university's theatre, surprised at how dark it had become. He glanced at his companion and smiled. "That was pretty good, huh?"

Mahiru returned the smile, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, they did a good job. I wouldn't think they were just students."

It was well into fall, but the weather was unseasonably warm. Hajime could hear the buzz of insects emanating from the nearby forest. He looked at his feet then back at the redhead. "So…Um…" he trailed off. Swallowing, he spoke again. "Are you ready to head back to your dorm?"

Mahiru tilted her head, looking at him. "Not really. Why? You trying to get rid of me, Hajime?"

Hajime's heart skipped a beat when she said his name. "N-no," he stammered. "Is there somewhere else you wanted to go?"

Mahiru made a thoughtful noise and shrugged. "Not really! Let's just walk around campus! I still don't know where everything is."

Hajime nodded, thankful that the night wasn't quite over yet. Mahiru was good company. He fell into step with her, getting as close as he could get without being awkward. "How are your other classes going?" he asked. Besides an introductory theatre class -an elective requirement for all students at the university- their programs had them taking completely different courses. That theatre class was actually the only reason they'd met each other. For once Hajime was glad he'd been forced to take a class that was pointless to his major.

Mahiru huffed, looking indignant. "Boring!" she proclaimed. "My high school isn't well-known enough for them to trust my track record. They're making me retake introductory photography classes!"

Hajime hadn't meant to bring up a sore subject. "That…sucks," he finished lamely, rubbing the back of his head.

Mahiru glanced at him, grinning. "Yeah, that's the word for it! Like a vacuum!"

"The cleaning kind or the space kind?"

Mahiru giggled. "Both!" she spun to look at him, effortlessly walking in reverse to keep pace with him. "What about you? How are your classes?"

"They suck," he replied immediately, feeling his face grow hot when she smiled again. "I'm just taking a bunch of electives. Boring as hell!"

Mahiru went back to walking normally, her hands swinging freely at her sides. Hajime was struck with the sudden urge to grab her hand, but managed to restrain himself. He was enjoying hanging out with her. He didn't want to ruin the night by trying to hold his friend's hand. To steel his resolve Hajime stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I love this park!" Mahiru exclaimed, making Hajime jump.

Hajime looked around. He hadn't even realized that they'd made it to the park. It was at least a five-minute walk from the theatre. Time was flying. "It is nice, huh?"

Mahiru spread her arms wide. "It's a great place for photography. Have you seen the squirrels? They're everywhere around lunchtime. It's like a circus. I've filled up two rolls of film with squirrel pics alone!"

Hajime liked to watch her talk about photography. Her eyes sparkled, and she would talk so fast that she'd forget to breathe. He wished that he was so passionate about something. Even in the dim light, Hajime could practically see Mahiru glow as she gushed over the squirrels.

Mahiru abruptly stopped, prompting Hajime to stop as well. "Is something wrong?" he asked, looking at her in confusion.

Mahiru gestured to the bench on the side of the trail. "I'm tired," she said simply. She sat down, crossing her legs. "You're welcome to join me, Hajime," Mahiru said, patting the bench.

Hajime blushed, rushing to sit down next to her. He looked at her, glancing away quickly when she caught his eye. Her eyes were beautiful. "Um…"

Mahiru was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was soft and wavered slightly as though she was nervous about something. "Hey…Hajime…Can I do something weird?"

Caught flatfooted by the question, Hajime could only nod in response.

Mahiru leaned forward; it didn't register in Hajime's mind that the most beautiful girl he'd ever known was trying to kiss him until her face was inches from his own. Even then he couldn't bring himself to move. He froze. Her lips touched his and Hajime's heart doubled its tempo. He tried to return the gesture, pressing his lips clumsily against hers.

Mahiru pulled away, watching him warily. "Was…Was that okay?"

The feeling in Hajime's brain could only be described as television static. He couldn't seem to string more than two thoughts together before they were lost in buzzing that filled his head. "Y-yeah," he managed.

Mahiru smiled, her face turning red. "Good." She giggled. "You should see your face."

Hajime raised an eyebrow, finally regaining control of his thoughts. "What about it?"

Mahiru reached out and poked him on the cheek. "Your face is redder than my hair, for one!"

Hajime chuckled. "Your face is red, too!"

Mahiru stuck her tongue out at him. "My face is only red 'cause you made me make the first move! Honestly, isn't the boy supposed to sweep the girl off of her feet?"

Hajime shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a scaredy-cat."

Mahiru rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you're cute. Otherwise-"

Hajime leaned in and kissed her, cutting off the end of her sentence. After a few seconds of this they separated. They smiled at each other.

"Thanks for tonight, Hajime I had fun."

"I did too. Thanks, Mahiru."

OoOoOo

 **A.N. Just a quick one-shot for one of my favorite pairings. I hope you all enjoyed it!**


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